Game piece and method of playing a game and supplying the game piece

ABSTRACT

A method and an apparatus by which rules and record keeping in games employing miniature figures as game pieces are incorporated onto the base of the miniature figures themselves. Counters or wheels keep track of a character&#39;s characteristics and how they change as a game progresses. Values can be customized for each character by providing differently numbered wheels for the bases. Also, a method for providing collectable game pieces with varied features by providing them to the consumer concealed in packaging.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/958,201, filed Oct. 5, 2001, now pending, which is the U.S. NationalPhase of PCT/US01/01369, filed Jan. 16, 2001, now pending, which claimsthe benefit of Provisional U.S. Patent Application No. 60/182,002, filedFeb. 11, 2000, and Provisional U.S. Patent Application No. 60/224,314,filed Aug. 10, 2000.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A degree of realism can be added to games, especially war and fantasygames, through the use of miniature figures to represent characters inthe games. Each participant in the game manipulates characters, eachrepresented by a miniature figure and each being endowed with certaincharacteristics, e.g., strength and range of movement, that enter intothe resolution of a given event, such as a battle or other interfacebetween characters. As the complexity of each character and eachscenario grows, and as the number of characters increases, thecomplexity of the game increases.

Traditionally, miniature figures are made of metal and sold individuallyor in sets. Typically, the packaging of the figures is at leastpartially transparent allowing the consumer to view the shape andidentity of each figure prior to purchasing. Alternatively, when thepackaging is not transparent, the contents of the package are clearlyidentified. Therefore, because purchasers are allowed to choose aspecific figure for their collection, the potential market for tradingthese figures is minimized.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to games involving the use of miniatures torepresent characters in the games, and to apparatus for use in suchgames.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The more complicated prior art games require voluminous rules of playmanuals. These manuals include massive amounts of rules and statisticsfor all of the figures in the game. The number of included statisticsmakes it difficult for a player to find a specific figure's statistics.In addition, a player is limited to figures included in their specificmanual. Further, the rules often entail detailed record keeping by theplayers, which are often recorded on miscellaneous slips of paper thatcan become misplaced or disorganized.

One challenge of miniature games for a broad audience has always beenthe size and complication of the rules and the need for record keepingfor each figure within the game. In addition, due to the nature of thepackaging, the manufacturer of the figures has little control over thecollectibility of the figures.

The solution to these problems is to: (i) take both the statisticspertaining to a specific character and the recording of game effectsupon that character and incorporate them within each figure; and (ii)modify the packaging to conceal the randomly inserted figures toencourage the collectability of the figures.

Accordingly, the invention described herein provides a method and anapparatus by which rules and record keeping are incorporated onto thegame piece base of the miniature figures themselves with aself-contained record-keeping device. Therefore, a player can use thepurchased figures immediately in a game, as opposed to first finding thecorrect statistics book for that specific character. This deviceincludes counter-wheels having numbers, colors, or other indicia thatreflect the nature and values of a character's characteristics and howthey change as a game progresses. Values can be customized for eachcharacter by providing differently-numbered wheels for the game piecebases.

According to the present invention, the game pieces are preferablymolded in plastic, pre-painted, and randomly inserted into opaquepackages. The packaging is designed to conceal the identity of thefigure from the purchaser. These game pieces are produced in differentquantities. As a result, some are designed to be rare and verycollectible. The players buy packages of game pieces to try to collectthe army that the player wants to amass and play with. Typically, therareness of a game piece corresponds to the value of that game piece. Inother words, a rarer game piece is more effective in the game. Thismethod of packaging, selling, and collecting game piece miniatures hasthe advantage of being unique. The game playing, manufacturing,packaging, selling, and collecting may be performed using game piecebases with or without an attached figure.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent tothose skilled in the art upon review of the following detaileddescription, claims, and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

FIG. 1 is an exploded schematic representation of a game piece baseembodying the invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the game piece base illustrated in FIG.1.

FIG. 3 is a plan bottom view of a base disk of the game piece baseillustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a plan top view of a selector disk of the game piece baseillustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a cross-section view taken along line 5-5 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a cross-section view taken along line 6-6 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of alternate embodiment of the game piecebase illustrated in FIG. 1, including a representational figure.

FIG. 8 is a sample of combat data for a selection of human characters tobe represented by such game piece bases as illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of a method of packaging a gamepiece base such as that illustrated in FIG. 7.

FIG. 10 is a sample of a special abilities card to be used inconjunction with a game piece base such as that illustrated in FIG. 1.

Before one embodiment of the invention is explained in detail, it is tobe understood that the invention is not limited in its application tothe details of construction and the arrangements of the components setforth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. Theinvention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced orbeing carried out in various ways. Also, it is understood that thephraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose ofdescription and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of“including” and “comprising” and variations thereof herein is meant toencompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well asadditional items.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Miniature figures are often used in games, especially war and fantasygames, to represent characters in the games. These characters, forexample, can be a Roman legionnaire, a Civil War Union soldier, amagician, or a mythical beast, depending on the game. Games can beplayed to re-enact historical battles, such as the Spartan defense ofThermopylae against the invading Persian army under King Xerxes, or tocreate a fantastical battle such as one pitting elves and humans againsttrolls and orcs. Each participant in the game commands an army ofcharacters, each represented by a miniature figure. Each character isendowed with certain strengths and weaknesses, all of which enter intothe resolution of a given battle. To add interest to the battle, otherfactors such as magic and terrain can also be included.

As the complexity of each character and each scenario grows, and as thenumber of characters increases, the complexity of the game increases.The challenge of miniature games for players is the extensive andcomplicated nature of the rules and the need for record keeping for eachfigure within the game. In this description, the terms warrior and gamepiece are used interchangeably to describe the invention.

FIG. 1 illustrates a game piece base 10 designed to ease the complexityof such games. Each game piece base 10 is a self-containedrecord-keeping device that includes a base disk 20, a label 25, and aselector disk 30.

The selector disk 30 includes an upper surface 34, a post 38 mounted inthe center of the selector disk 30, and a plurality of fingers 42mounted at the periphery of the selector disk 30. The plurality offingers 42 includes six short fingers 46 alternating with six longfingers 50. In alternate embodiments, any other suitable number orsizing of fingers may be used. One of the short fingers 46 includes abutton 54 formed therewith and rising vertically from the upper surface34.

The label 25 including an aperture 58 is attached to the upper surface34 of the selector disk 30 such that the aperture 58 aligns with thepost 38. A series of numbers in twelve columns of three appears on thelabel (not shown). Each column is spaced at approximately thirty-degreeintervals around the label. In alternate embodiments, any other suitablearrangement of numbers can be used.

The base disk 20 includes an L-shaped stat slot or aperture 62 thatallows one column of numbers and additional data from the label 25 to beseen at a given position of the base disk 20 relative to the selectordisk 30. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the base disk 20 also includes abottom surface 66, and a plurality of indentations 70 in the peripheryof the bottom surface 66. The number of indentations should match thenumber of fingers 42 on the selector disk 30. The base disk 20 alsoincludes an upper surface 74.

When assembled, as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, the label 25 is appliedto the upper surface 34 of the selector disk 30, and the base disk 20fits within and is captured by the fingers 42 of the selector disk 30.The center of the bottom surface 66 of the base disk 20 is supported bythe post 38. This arrangement allows the selector disk 30 to be rotatedrelative to the base disk 20. The button 54 interacts with theindentations 70 such that the button 54 resides partially within anindentation 70 when that indentation 70 is aligned with the button 54.The fingers are sufficiently flexible to allow the button 54 to snapinto and out of an indentation 70 as the selector disk 20 is rotatedrelative to the base disk 20. Such an arrangement ensures that the basedisk 20 will only occupy a given number of discrete indexed positionsrelative to the selector disk 30, where the given number of discretepositions is equal to the number of indentations 70, and where eachdiscrete position allows a player to look through the slot 62 to seewhatever numbers, symbols, or colors may appear on the label 25 at thatlocation. In other words, the two disks 20, 30 are typically alignedsuch that a column of numbers appears in the slot 62. The fingers 42provide a gripping surface such that a player can manually rotate theselector disk 30 relative to the base disk 20.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, a figure 80 may be attached to the uppersurface 74 of the base disk 20 to form a game piece or warrior 90. Thefigure 80 may be any representational figure representing a character ina game.

In other embodiments (not shown), the described game piece base 10 maybe any record-keeping device, such as mechanical and electronic countersthat are suitable for recording and conveying information. Specifically,the game piece base 10 allows for the variation of indicia during thecourse of play. In still other embodiments, the figure 80 may be anysuitable type of figure, including humans, animals, and mythical,mechanical, or fantastical creatures. The game piece base 10 may be madeavailable in conjunction with or separately from the figure 80 to allowfor interchangeability between figures 80 and bases, or to allow one toacquire a base to match a figure 80 one already has.

As is described in more detail below, the design of the game piece base10 means that each game piece base 10 carries with it a complex twodimensional table that reflects a character's performance statistics atup to twelve stages of damage, where each discrete location of the basedisk 20 with respect to the selector disk 30 represents a stage ofdamage. In alternate embodiments, other numbers of discrete locationscan indicate other stages of damage. Examples of such tables are shownin FIG. 8 for a selection of human characters. Thus, the game piece base10 provides both the table and the current performance of the character,eliminating voluminous rulebooks and record keeping.

The game pieces 90 are preferably molded in plastic, pre-painted, andrandomly inserted into opaque packages 94 that are preferably gluedclosed or shrink wrapped to prevent opening. The package 94 is designedto conceal the identity of the warrior 90 from the purchaser. These gamepieces 90 are produced in different quantities. As a result, some aredesigned to be rare and very collectible. The players buy packages 94 totry to collect the game pieces 90 that the player wants to amass andplay with. Typically, the rareness of a game piece 90 corresponds to thevalue of that game piece 90. In other words, a rarer game piece 90 ismore effective in the game. This method of packaging, selling, andcollecting game piece miniatures has the advantage of being unique.

These packages 94 can either include a single warrior 90, as shown inFIG. 9 with a plastic insert 98, or multiple warriors 90. Preferably,the figures 80 are supplied in sets of five (booster packs) or ten(starter sets) because it improves the purchaser's chances of getting adesired figure 80. When the multiple figures 80 are sold in a singlepackage, retailers are more likely to carrying the product line becauseconsumers are more likely to buy in volume. Retailers also appreciatethat the concealing packages use minimal shelf space and only require asingle stock keeping unit (“SKU”) as opposed to the one hundred andsixty SKU's (i.e., one for each character) that would be necessary ifthe warriors were sold in individual non-concealing packages.

The booster pack includes five figures 80 and five stickers to place onthe bottom of each figure 80 on which the owner can write their name.The starter set includes ten figures 80, a rulebook, a comic book toexplain the fiction of the game world, a pair of dice, a flexible rulerfor measuring distances, and 10 identifying stickers. The purpose foreach of these items will be discussed in more detail below.

Alternatively, the packages can be configured to reveal the identity ofthe warrior 90 to allow the purchaser to select specific characters fortheir collection. But to facilitate trading of such figures 80, theindividual characteristics printed on the label 25 can be concealed bythe packaging and varied between identical characters. These differentprinted labels 25 can be produced in varied quantities. As a result,some can be designed to be rare and very collectible. For example,identical characters can have different indicia printed on the label 25making one figure 80 faster, stronger, and less susceptible to injurythan another according to the rules of the game. Therefore, the morevaluable warriors 90 of this embodiment would be those with morefavorable numerical characteristics. The purchaser would then have theopportunity to more easily acquire the different warriors 90 and stillbe encouraged to trade for those warriors 90 that possess superiornumerical characteristics.

Although the invention described herein may be used for a wide varietyof games, a game called MAGE KNIGHT REBELLION will be used as an exampleto illustrate the invention. In MAGE KNIGHT REBELLION, a player takes onthe role of a powerful warlord, king, baron, or high wizard who sendshis warriors 90 out to do battle with opposing armies. MAGE KNIGHTREBELLION is a game of tabletop combat using collectible MAGE KNIGHTREBELLION figures 80. Each figure 80 is called a warrior 90, and is amember of one of eight different factions: Atlantis Guild, ElementalLeague, Necropolis Sect, Black Powder Rebels, Knights Immortal, OrcRaiders, Draconum, or Mage Spawn. A player builds an army from his orher collection of warriors 90. A game may be played using game piecebases 10 with or without an attached figure 80.

A warrior 90 is composed of two main pieces, the figure 80 and the gamepiece base 10. The game piece base 10 shows sets of numbers that tell aplayer how good a warrior 90 is at doing certain things. Each time awarrior 90 takes a point of damage during a game, the player clicks theselector disk 30 clockwise to the next set of numbers. Each point ofdamage taken by a warrior 90 changes the warrior's game piece basenumbers, reducing the warrior's effectiveness. Each time a warrior 90takes a click of healing during the game, the player clicks the selectordisk 20 counter-clockwise to the previous set of numbers. When threeskulls show up on the game piece base, the warrior 90 has beeneliminated and is removed from the battlefield.

Each warrior's game piece base 10 contains important information. Thisinformation includes the warrior's: a) name, b) point value (1-50), c)rank (weak, standard, tough), d) front arc (white), e) rear arc (gray),f) collector's number (1-160), g) faction symbol, and h) combat values.Each warrior's base also has a stat slot (to see numbers on the label25). If a warrior 90 does not have a rank, then it is a unique figure80. Each warrior 90 has five combat values, four that change during thegame and one that stays the same. The four values that change are speed,attack, defense, and damage. These four values are on the game piecebase 10, and can be seen through the warrior's stat slot 62. The fifthvalue, range, never changes and is printed on the base 10.

Game Items:

In addition to a player's MAGE KNIGHT REBELLION warriors 90 and a rulessheet, a player needs the following items to play a MAGE KNIGHTREBELLION game: a) an eighteen inch flexible ruler and b) two six-sideddice. Additionally, a two-foot-long piece of string and a few pennies(used as tokens during the game) may be used as will be furtherdiscussed below. Optionally, a player may also collect simple terrainitems.

Blank stickers are provided with each pack of MAGE KNIGHT REBELLIONwarriors 90 for ownership identification. A player writes their initialson the stickers and places them on the bottom of each of that player'swarriors 90. This helps a player to sort out which warriors 90 are thatplayer's at the end of each battle.

Building A Player's Army: All of the players must agree to a build totalof each player's army. The build total is the total of a player's pointvalues and is always in multiples of 100 points. Each MAGE KNIGHTREBELLION warrior 90 has a point value printed on its game piece base10. Once a player knows how many points that player has to build anarmy, that player chooses which of that player's warriors 90 willparticipate in the game. A player's army may contain two or more of thesame figure 80, unless that figure 80 is unique. However, the sameunique figure 80 can appear in opposing armies. The total of theplayer's warriors' point values cannot exceed the build total value.

Beginning the Game:

MAGE KNIGHT REBELLION can be played on a flat tabletop. The playersdesignate a square area to play that is at least three feet long on eachside. A game can be played with any number of people, but the game isbest when there are two, three, or four different armies. Each playerselects one edge of the battlefield to be the player's, and then thegame piece bases 10 of each warrior 90 are manipulated such that a greensquare is showing through the stat slot 62. Each player places up to twoterrain items in a pile off to the side of the battlefield. The purposeof the terrain will be described in greater detail below. Next, eachplayer rolls two six-sided dice where the highest roll determines thefirst player. The first player places a terrain item from the pile ontothe battlefield in a desired location. This continues in clockwise orderuntil all of the terrain items are positioned on the battlefield. Eachplayer then places a warriors 90 on the battlefield within three inchesof the player's edge and at least 8 inches away from any other edge ofthe battlefield, starting with the first player and rotating clockwiseuntil all of the players are positioned.

Turns and Actions:

In MAGE KNIGHT REBELLION, players alternate moving their warriors 90 andattacking opposing figures 80 to win the battle. At the beginning of aplayers turn, the player has a certain number of actions. This number isset for the entire game and is dependent upon the build total of thearmies. A player gets one action for every one hundred points of thatperson's build total. For example, if the build total is 200 points, theplayer receives 2 actions per turn. During each players turn, thatplayer decides which warriors 90 to give actions, however, the samewarrior 90 may not be given two actions in the same turn. Actionsinclude moving one warrior 90, performing ranged combat with one warrior90, performing close combat with one warrior 90, or passing. Once aplayer has completed their allotted actions, it becomes the nextplayer's turn, and the next player gets the same number of actions. Playproceeds with each player taking a turn.

If a player gives an action (other than pass) to the same warrior 90 ontwo consecutive turns, that warrior 90 takes one point of damage aftercompleting its subsequent action. This damage represents the fatiguecaused by taking actions on two consecutive turns. A player may not giveany warrior 90 an action (other than pass) on three consecutive turns.If a player has trouble remembering which warrior 90 that player hasgiven an action to on a previous turn, that player can mark that warrior90 with a token, such as a penny, to remind that player.

Game Concepts:

Distances measured for set-up, movement, or ranged combat, are alwaysmeasured from the center of the game piece base 10. Two or more warriors90 are in base contact when the bases of each are touching. Friendlyfigures 80 are warriors 90 that are controlled by the same player orallied teammates, and cannot target other friendly figures 80. Opposingfigures 80 are any warriors 90 that are controlled by an opponent.Status of friendly and opposing figures 80 are set at the beginning ofthe game and cannot change by treaties or agreements.

Special Abilities:

There are special colored blocks on each warrior's game piece base 10.These colors represent special abilities that warrior 90 has while theyare displayed. There are four areas in which a player can find coloredblocks representing the warrior's special abilities. These four areasare: 1) behind the move value, 2) behind the attack value, 3) behind thedefense value, and 4) behind the damage value through the stat slot 62on the warrior's game piece base 10. Descriptions of these specialabilities appear on the MAGE KNIGHT REBELLION Special Abilities Card, anexample of which is shown in FIG. 10. If a special ability is describedas optional, the owning player decides if the ability is, or is not,used for the turn.

Movement:

A warrior's speed value is shown on its game piece base 10. This is themaximum number of inches the warrior 90 may move when given a moveaction. When a player moves a warrior 90, the player physically movesthe warrior 90 across the battlefield along the exact movement path.This distance can be measured by the flexible ruler. The game piecebases 10 of other warriors 90 block movement, so a player's warrior 90may not touch or cross the game piece base 10 of any other warriors 90during its move. When a player finishes moving a warrior 90, the figure80 may be faced in any direction. The direction that the FIG. 80 isfacing is important because the warrior 90 may only attack (rangedcombat and close combat) out of its front arc and it is at adisadvantage when attacked in close combat through its rear arc.

If a player gives a move action to a warrior 90 that is in contact withthe game piece base 10 of an opposing warrior 90, the player must breakaway from the contact. To break away, the player must roll a six-sideddie. If the player rolls a 1, 2 or 3, the warrior 90 fails to break awayand may not move this turn, although the warrior 90 may be rotated ifdesired. If the player rolls a 4, 5, or 6, the player warrior 90 hassuccessfully broken away and may move normally.

If a player's warrior's movement takes it into base contact with one ormore opposing figures 80, those opposing figures 80 immediately have theoption to spin in place to bring any portion of their front arcs intocontact with the moving warrior 90.

Ranged Combat:

Ranged combat attacks represent everything from bows and gunfire, tomagical spells and mind attacks. Each warrior 90 has a range valueprinted on its game piece base 10. If this value is greater than zeroand the warrior 90 is not in contact with the game piece base 10 of anopposing warrior 90, then a player may give that warrior 90 a rangedcombat action. This number represents the maximum number of inches thatthe warriors 90 ranged attack can reach. The number of arrow symbolsshown with the warrior's range value is the maximum number of differenttargets the warrior 90 may attack with each ranged combat action.Certain special abilities allow ranged combat to be resolved against anincreased number of targets.

When a player gives a ranged combat action to one of the player'swarriors 90, the player marks the warrior's range in inches on a stringwith a pen or marker (or just holds it with a player's fingers). Theplayer places the end of the string at the center of the figure's gamepiece base 10 and extends the string to the center of the target's gamepiece base 10. The path of the string is called the line of fire. If aplayer is firing at more than one target, the player must draw a line offire to each of them.

The line of fire must pass through the attacking warrior's front arc,and each target must be within the range a player has marked on thestring. The line of fire is blocked if it crosses any warrior's gamepiece base 10 (friend or foe) other than a target. If the line of fireis blocked, a player may not attack the target warrior 90. A player maycheck to see if a line of fire is blocked at any time. The attackingplayer rolls two six-sided dice and adds their values to the warrior'sattack value. If the result is equal to or greater than the target'sdefense value, as shown on its game piece base 10, then the target ishit and damaged. When a player's warrior 90 hits a target with anattack, the target must take a number of clicks of damage equal to theattacker's damage value.

When a warrior 90 is attacking more than one target with a ranged combatattack, which is allowed when the warrior's range value is shown withmore than one arrow, a player only rolls the dice once. The total of thedice plus the warrior's attack value is compared to every target'sdefensive value. Some targets with low defensive values may be damagedby the attack, while others with high defensive values may not be.Whenever a ranged combat action is used to attack more than one singletarget, the damage value of the attack, if successful, is always one,despite the warrior's normal damage value.

Close Combat:

Close combat represents hand-to-hand and melee weapon attacks. If aplayer gives the close combat action to a warrior 90, the front arc ofthe warrior's game piece base 10 must be touching the target's gamepiece base 10. The attacking player rolls two six-sided dice and addstheir values to the warrior's attack value. If the result is equal to orgreater than the target's defense value as shown on its game piece base10, then the target is hit and damaged. The player adds one to the diceroll if the warrior 90 is in contact with the rear arc of the targetwarrior's game piece base 10.

Damage:

When a warrior 90 hits a target with a ranged or close combat attack,the warrior 90 inflicts damage in the amount of the warrior's damagevalue. This is the number of clicks of damage the warrior 90 hasdelivered to the target. The opposing player must click the target'sgame piece base 10 clockwise that number of clicks. The damage inflictedreduces the target's abilities, and may even eliminate the target fromthe game.

Rolling a “2” or a “12”:

Whenever a warrior 90 is making a ranged or close combat attack androlls a “2,” the warrior 90 automatically misses the target. This iscalled a critical miss, and-the warrior 90 must take one click of damagerepresenting a self-inflicted wound caused by the miss. If a playerrolls a “12,” the warrior 90 has automatically hit the target and doesone extra click of damage. Alternatively, if a player is trying to heala warrior 90 and rolls a “12,” then the healing is automaticallysuccessful and delivers one extra click of healing.

Healing:

By using special abilities such as magic healing, regeneration, andvampirism, a player may repair clicks on a figure's base 10. Whenrepairing, click the selector disk 30 counter-clockwise, but never pastthe figure's starting position.

Capturing:

A player has the option in close combat of capturing a target instead ofdamaging the target. A player must declare a capture attempt beforerolling the close combat dice. The defense value of the target warrior90 is increased by two if a player is attempting to capture it. If aplayer hits the target, the player doesn't damage the target, but thetarget is captured and a player's opponent may no longer give the targetan action.

Each warrior 90 may only have one captured figure 80 under thatwarrior's control. The capture is shown by keeping the captured figure'sgame piece base 10 in contact with the controlling warrior's game piecebase 10 at all times. No warrior 90, friend or foe, may target acaptured figure 80 for any purpose. The captured figure 80 always moveswith the captured figure's controlling warrior 90 using the lowest ofthe two figures' movement values. The controlling warrior 90 may only beassigned a move action or a pass action; it may not initiate any furthercombat. The controlling warrior 90 may not be the target of anopponent's capture attempt. If a warrior 90 with a captured target iseliminated, the captured target may immediately begin operatingnormally.

Formations:

An action that a player gives to one of the player's warriors 90 canaffect other warriors 90 in a player's army of the same race by usingformations. Note that a player can never be forced to use a formation ifthe player does not want to. A formation may never contain figures 80from different factions, although a player may use different figures 80from the same faction in a formation. Mage spawn figures 80 may neveruse formations.

Movement Formation:

If three to five of a player's warriors 90 are grouped so that eachone's game piece base 10 is touching the game piece base 10 of another,then the player can call this group a movement formation. When a playergives a move action to just one of these warriors 90, all of thewarriors 90 in the movement formation may move at the same time and aspart of that same action. At the end of the move, each warrior's gamepiece base 10 must still be touching the game piece base 10 of anotherwarrior 90 in the formation. Therefore, the speed value of the slowestwarrior 90 in the movement formation will restrict how far a player'swarriors 90 will move. Movement formations are good because one moveaction allows a player to move several warriors 90 instead of just one.If any figure 80 in a movement formation fails to break away, thatfigure 80 may not move individually other than rotating to a newdirection.

Ranged Combat Formations:

If three to five of a player's warriors 90 have their game piece bases10 touching, a player may declare a ranged combat formation. When aplayer gives a ranged combat action to just one of these warriors 90,all of the warriors 90 in the ranged combat formation contribute to theattack. The target figure 80 must be within the range value of each of aplayer's warriors 90, and no line of fire may be blocked. The warrior 90that a player gives the ranged combat action to is called the primaryfirer. To resolve the attack, a player uses the primary firer's attackvalue and damage value. Each additional warrior 90 in the ranged combatformation adds one to the attack dice roll. There is no damage bonus.Ranged combat formations are good because they allow a player to hit andat least do some damage to target warriors 90 with very high defensivevalues. Even if only one warrior 90 in the formation is given the rangedcombat action, all warriors 90 are considered to have performed anaction.

Close Combat Formations:

If two or three of a player's warriors 90 have their game piece bases 10touching each other and a game piece base 10 of a single opposingwarrior 90, a player may declare a close combat formation against thatopposing warrior 90. When the player gives a close combat action to justone of a player's warriors 90, all of the warriors 90 in the closecombat formation contribute to the attack. The warrior 90 that theplayer gives the close combat action to is called the primary attacker.To resolve the attack, the player uses the primary attacker's attackvalue and damage value. Each additional figure 80 in the close combatformation adds one to the combat dice roll. There is no damage bonus.Close combat formations are good because they help overcome thedifficulty in capturing an opponent's warrior 90 or damaging a warrior90 with a high defensive value. Similar to ranged combat formations, ifone warrior 90 in the formation is given the close combat action, allwarriors 90 are considered to have performed an action.

If a “2” is rolled during a close combat or ranged combat formation,only the primary attacker rotates his base clockwise one click.

Tabletop Terrain:

Players are not required to use terrain when fighting a MAGE KNIGHTREBELLION battle, but adding terrain to the tabletop will make the gamemore challenging and interesting. There are four types of terrain inMAGE KNIGHT REBELLION: a) clear, b) hindering, c) blocking, and d)elevated. An empty tabletop is considered to be clear terrain.

Hindering Terrain:

Examples of hindering terrain are brush, low walls, and debris. A playercan represent these with construction paper, pieces of felt, fabric, orscale models. Hindering terrain should lie flat on the table so that theterrain does not interfere with the placement of a player's warriors'game piece bases 10. If a line of fire passes through any amount ofhindering terrain or any number of hindering terrain features, one isadded to the target's defensive value, this is called a hinderingterrain modifier. Close combat attacks are not affected by hinderingterrain. A player's warriors 90 can move into and through hinderingterrain, but there are restrictions. If a player's warrior 90 begins amove with any part of the warrior's game piece base 10 touching clearterrain, the warrior's movement must end immediately when the warrior'sgame piece base 10 crosses completely into a hindering terrain feature.If a player's warrior 90 begins a move with any part of the warrior'sgame piece base 10 touching hindering terrain, the warrior's speed valueis cut in half for the turn.

A firer in hindering terrain is not penalized by the modifier if itsfront arc lies entirely outside of the hindering terrain boundary andthe line of fire does not pass into or through any other hinderingterrain features. This represents use of the hindering terrain asprotection while firing from the edge of the hindering terrain.

Blocking Terrain:

Examples of blocking terrain are large trees, high walls, and buildings.A player can represent them with common items such as salt shakers,cups, and stacks of books, or the player can use scale models. Blockingterrain blocks movement, so a warrior 90 may not move through it. Also,blocking terrain blocks any line of fire crossing it.

Elevated Terrain:

All elevated terrain is assumed to represent the same level of heightabove the battlefield. Elevated terrain features include hills and lowplateaus. Elevated terrain may include areas of hindering and/orblocking terrain, but is otherwise assumed to contain clear terrain.Players can represent elevated terrain with stacks of books andmagazines, or use scale models. All figures 80 must stop as soon as theymove up into elevated terrain, or down out of elevated terrain (as ifthey were entering a hindering terrain feature). When measuring aplayer's move, don't measure any vertical distance traveled, just thehorizontal portion of the warrior's 90 move along the tabletop orelevated terrain feature.

Elevated terrain features block lines of fire unless the firer or targetor both are on the elevated terrain. If both the firer and target are onelevated terrain, nothing affects the line of fire except elevatedhindering and blocking terrain features and other elevated figure 80bases. If the firer or target is on elevated terrain, but the other isnot, the line of fire is blocked if it crosses a different elevatedterrain feature. Intervening blocking terrain features also block theline of fire, whether elevated or not. Intervening elevated figure 80bases will also block these lines of fire, but those off of elevatedterrain can be ignored. Hindering terrain modifies the attack only ifeither the firer or target is in hindering terrain, otherwise it too canbe ignored.

Special Terrain:

Shallow water features like streams, fords, and ponds are treated ashindering terrain for movement, but have no effect on ranged combatactions. Deep water features like rivers and lakes are treated asblocking terrain for movement, but have no effect on ranged combatactions.

Low walls are special types of hindering terrain. Movement stops when aplayer's warrior 90 reaches the far side of a low wall, and speed isnever halved on subsequent turns when that player's warrior 90 movesaway from a low wall. Ranged combat attacks use the hindering terrainmodifier for crossing the low wall, except if the firer is in basecontact with the low wall. Close combat attacks are allowed betweenadjacent figures 80 on opposite sides of a low wall as if they were inbase contact.

Abrupt elevated terrain such as raised parapets, flat rooftops, andplateaus flanked by cliffs are treated like normal elevated terrainexcept that close combat attacks are not allowed. Formations are alsonot allowed to be broken between levels of an abrupt elevated terrain.Figures 80 may only move onto or off of such terrain if they havespecial abilities or a ladder or stairway exists.

Height Advantage:

When a firer that is not on elevated terrain makes a ranged combatattack against an elevated target, the target's defense value isincreased by one. This is the height advantage modifier. When using aranged combat formation, only the primary attacker's line of fire issubject to the height advantage modifier and the hindering terrainmodifier.

Close combat between figures 80 at different elevations is allowed ifthe bases 10 would be in contact if not for the height difference. Ifthe target of a close combat attack is elevated while the attackingwarrior 90 is not, the target gets the height advantage modifier.

Ending the Game:

The game ends when any of the following occur: a) Only one playerremains with a warrior 90 on the battlefield; b) A predetermined timelimit for the game expires; or c) All remaining players agree to end thegame. A player may also decide to withdraw during their turn. If aplayer decides to withdraw, the player removes all of the player'sremaining warriors 90 from the game.

The winner of the game is determined by the player with the highestnumber of victory points. Victory points are accumulated by eliminatingopposing warriors 90, maintaining captured warriors 90, and by one's ownsurviving warriors 90. The points awarded for eliminating an opposingwarrior 90 is the point value of that warrior 90. The points awarded forholding a warrior 90 captive at the end of the game is twice the pointvalue of the captured warrior 90. The points accumulated for eachsurviving warrior 90 is equal to that warrior's point value. After thegame, all players retrieve their eliminated and captured figures 80.

Various features of the invention are set forth in the following claims.

1. A self-contained record-keeping device for use in playing a game,comprising: a self-contained record-keeping device, wherein therecord-keeping device adjustably displays variable information relatingto the game, the information being arranged in a plurality of sequencesof game play indicia, each sequence being of a different type of gameplay indicia, each type of game play indicia indicating informationrelated to a different aspect of the play of the game, at least one gameplay indicia in one of the sequences being indicated and at least inpart determinative of game play.
 2. A self-contained record-keepingdevice for use in playing a game, comprising: a self-containedrecord-keeping device, wherein the record-keeping device adjustablydisplays variable information relating to the game, the informationbeing arranged in a plurality of sequences of game play indicia, eachsequence being of a different type of game play indicia, each type ofgame play indicia indicating information related to a different aspectof the play of the game, and wherein the record-keeping device has anindicator selectively movable to position the indicator to indicate oneof the game play indicia of one of the sequences and to subsequentlyposition the indicator to indicate another one of the game play indiciaof the one sequence in response to occurrence of a game play event.
 3. Aself-contained record-keeping device for use in playing a game,comprising: a self-contained record-keeping device, wherein therecord-keeping device adjustably displays variable information relatingto the game, the information being arranged in a plurality of sequencesof game play indicia, each sequence being of a different type of gameplay indicia, each type of game play indicia indicating informationrelated to a different aspect of the play of the game, at least one typeof game play indicia representing a characteristic used in amathematical interaction resolution formula to determine a gameinteraction between the self-contained record-keeping device and anotherself-contained record-keeping device, at least one of the game playindicia being selectable from the sequence representing thecharacteristic for use to determine game play using the mathematicalinteraction resolution formula.
 4. The device of claim 3 wherein thegame play indicia of the type representing the characteristic areindicated by numbers.
 5. The device of claim 3 wherein theself-contained record-keeping device includes a first member having theplurality of sequences of game play indicia arranged to define aplurality of groupings of game play indicia, each grouping including atleast one game play indicia from two or more of the sequences of gameplay indicia to provide each grouping with a plurality of differenttypes of game play indicia, and a second member having an indicatorportion, one of the first and second members being selectively manuallymovable relative to the other of the first and second members toselectively position the indicator portion to indicate one of thegroupings for use of the indicia thereof to determine game play.
 6. Thedevice of claim 5 further comprising a retainer member releasablyretaining the first and second members against movement with respect toeach other and with the indicator portion in a selected positionindicating one of the groupings while the device is moved about untilone of the first and second members is selectively manually moved toanother selected position indicating another of the groupings.
 7. Thedevice of claim 5 wherein one of the first and second members has acontact portion and is selectively manually movable relative to theother of the first and second members in response to a user manuallydrivingly contacting the contact portion to selectively position theindicator portion to indicate the one of the groupings.
 8. The device ofclaim 7 further comprising a retainer member releasably retaining thefirst and second members against relative movement while permitting theone of the first and second members to be selectively manually movedrelative to the other of the first and second members.
 9. The device ofclaim 5 wherein one of the first and second members has a gripablemember exposed for grasping by a hand of a game player, the gripablemember being operatively connected to the indicator portion toselectively manually move the indicator portion in response to movementof the gripable member between the plurality of groupings of gameindicia to select the one of the groupings for use of the game playindicia thereof to determine game play.
 10. The device of claim 5wherein the first member is a selector member having the plurality ofgroupings of game play indicia with the groupings at spaced-apartgrouping positions, the positional relationship of the types of indiciawithin each grouping being the same among the groupings; and the secondmember is a base member selectively manually movable relative to theselector member between a plurality of base member positionscorresponding to the grouping positions, the indicator portion being atleast one aperture in the base member sized and positioned to be inalignment with the correspondingly positioned one of the groupings toallow viewing of the indicia thereof to determine game play withoutrevealing any indicia of the other groupings.
 11. The device of claim 5wherein the positional relationship of the types of indicia within eachgrouping are the same among the groupings.
 12. The device of claim 5wherein the first member has the plurality of groupings at spaced-apartgrouping positions, and the second member is selectively manuallymovable relative to the first member between a plurality of secondmember positions corresponding to the grouping positions, the indicatorportion being arranged such that when the second member is in one of thesecond member positions the indicator portion is in alignment with thecorrespondingly positioned one of the grouping positions.
 13. The deviceof claim 12 wherein the indicator portion of the second member includesat least one aperture sized and positioned such that when moved intoalignment with the indicated one of the groupings the indicia thereofare visible therethrough for use to determine game play withoutrevealing any indicia of the other groupings.
 14. A self-containedrecord-keeping device for use in playing a game, comprising: aself-contained record-keeping device, wherein the record-keeping deviceadjustably displays variable information relating to the game, theinformation being arranged in a plurality of sequences of game playindicia, each sequence being of a different type of game play indicia,each type of game play indicia indicating information related to adifferent aspect of the play of the game, at least one type of game playindicia representing a characteristic used in an interaction resolutionformula to determine a result of an interaction between theself-contained record-keeping device and an other self-containedrecord-keeping device, with the result thereof used in combination withthe results of other interactions of the self-contained record-keepingdevice during game play to determine a cumulative game play result, atleast one of the game play indicia being selectable from the sequencerepresenting the characteristic for use to determine the result of theinteraction between the self-contained record-keeping device and theother self-contained record-keeping device using the interactionresolution formula.
 15. A self-contained record-keeping device for usein playing a game, comprising: a self-contained record-keeping device,wherein the record-keeping device adjustably displays variableinformation relating to the game, the information being arranged in aplurality of sequences of game play indicia, each sequence being of adifferent type of game play indicia, each type of game play indiciaindicating information related to a different aspect of the play of thegame, at least one type of game play indicia representing an offensivecharacteristic used in an interaction resolution formula to determine aresult of an interaction between the self-contained record-keepingdevice and an other self-contained record-keeping device when theself-contained record-keeping device takes a simulated offensive actionagainst the other self-contained record-keeping device, and at least onetype of game play indicia representing a defensive characteristic usedin the interaction resolution formula to determine a result of aninteraction between the self-contained record-keeping device and theother self-contained record-keeping device when the other self-containedrecord-keeping device takes a simulated offensive action offensiveaction against the self-contained record-keeping device, with the resultof the interaction used in combination with the results of otherinteractions of the self-contained record-keeping device during gameplay to determine a cumulative game play result, at least one of thegame play indicia being selectable from the sequence representing theoffensive characteristic for use to determine the result of theinteraction between the self-contained record-keeping device and theother self-contained record-keeping device using the interactionresolution formula and at least one of the game play indicia beingselectable from the sequence representing the defensive characteristicfor use to determine the result of the interaction between theself-contained record-keeping device and the other self-containedrecord-keeping device using the interaction resolution formula.
 16. Aself-contained record-keeping device for use in playing a game,comprising: a self-contained record-keeping device, wherein therecord-keeping device adjustably displays variable information relatingto the game, the information being arranged in a sequence of game playindicia representing a characteristic used in an interaction resolutionformula to determine a result of an interaction between theself-contained record-keeping device and an other self-containedrecord-keeping device, with the result thereof used in combination withthe results of other interactions of the self-contained record-keepingdevice during game play to determine a cumulative game play result, atleast one of the game play indicia being selectable from the sequence todetermine the result of the interaction between the self-containedrecord-keeping device and the other self-contained record-keeping deviceusing the interaction resolution formula.
 17. A game piece for use in agame, the game piece comprising: a self-contained record-keeping device,wherein the record-keeping device adjustably displays variableinformation relating to the game, the information being arranged in aplurality of selectable groupings of game play indicia, each groupingincluding a plurality of different types of game play indicia, each typeof indicia indicating information related to a different aspect of theplay of the game and being expressed as game play values, the indicia ofone type in at least some of the groupings having game play valuesdifferent from the indicia of the same type in others of the groupings.18. The game piece of claim 17 wherein the positional relationship ofthe types of indicia within each grouping is the same among thegroupings.
 19. The game piece of claim 17 for use in playing a gamebased on simulated interactions of at least two game pieces according toa set of game rules, wherein the game play values are selected toproduce outcomes of the simulated interactions between the game piecesaccording to the set of game rules by comparison of the game play valuesof the game play indicia in selected groupings of the game pieces. 20.The game piece of claim 17 further including an indicator selectivelymanually movable between a plurality of positions corresponding to thegroupings to select one of the groupings for use of the game playindicia thereof to determine game play.
 21. The game piece of claim 20wherein the indicator includes a movable view-permitting portion sizedand positioned such that when moved into alignment with the selected oneof the groupings the indicia thereof are visible through theview-permitting portion for use to determine game play, and aview-blocking portion movable with the view-permitting portion andblocking viewing of the indicia of the other groupings.
 22. The gamepiece of claim 20 further including a gripable member exposed forgrasping by a hand of a game player, the gripable member beingoperatively connected to the indicator to selectively manually move theindicator in response to movement of the gripable member between theplurality of positions corresponding to the groupings to select the oneof the groupings for use of the game play indicia thereof to determinegame play.
 23. The game piece of claim 20 further including a retainermember releasably retaining the indicator in the position correspondingto the selected grouping to which moved until the indicator isselectively manually moved to another position corresponding to adifferent selected one of the groupings.
 24. The game piece of claim 17wherein at least some of the game play values of the indicia areindicated by numbers.
 25. The game piece of claim 17 wherein at leastsome of the game play values of the indicia are indicated by colors. 26.The game piece of claim 17 wherein at least some of the game play valuesof the indicia are indicated by symbols.
 27. The game piece of claim 17wherein at least some of the game play values of the indicia areindicated by combinations of at least two of numbers, colors andsymbols.
 28. A self-contained record-keeping device for use in playing agame, comprising: a first member having a plurality of game playindicia; a second member having an indicator portion, one of the firstand second members being selectively manually movable relative to theother of the first and second members to selectively position theindicator portion to indicate one of the indicia for use to determinegame play; and a retainer member releasably retaining the first andsecond members against relative movement while permitting the one of thefirst and second members to be selectively manually moved relative tothe other of the first and second members to selectively position theindicator portion to indicate the one of the indicia for use todetermine game play.
 29. The device of claim 28 wherein the first memberhas the plurality of game play indicia at spaced-apart indiciapositions, and the second member is selectively manually movablerelative to the first member between a plurality of second memberpositions corresponding to the indicia positions, the indicator portionbeing arranged such that when the second member is in one of the secondmember positions the indicator portion is in alignment with thecorrespondingly positioned one of the indicia positions.
 30. The deviceof claim 28 wherein the indicator portion of the second member includesat least one aperture sized and positioned such that when moved intoalignment with the indicated one of the indicia the indicated one of theindicia is visible therethrough for use to determine game play withoutrevealing any others of the indicia.
 31. The device of claim 28 whereinthe indicator portion of the second member includes a view-permittingportion sized and positioned such that when moved into alignment withthe indicated one of the indicia the indicia one of the indicia isvisible through the view-permitting portion for use to determine gameplay, and the second member further includes a view-blocking portionmovable with the indicator portion and blocking viewing of the otherindicia.
 32. The device of claim 28 wherein the first member has a labelwith the game play indicia being recorded thereon.
 33. The device ofclaim 28 wherein the game play indicia indicate information related toone or more aspects of play of the game and are expressed as at leastone of qualitative and quantitative values.
 34. The device of claim 33wherein at least some of the game play values of the indicia areexpressed by numbers.
 35. The device of claim 33 wherein at least someof the game play values of the indicia are expressed by colors.
 36. Thedevice of claim 33 wherein at least some of the game play values of theindicia are expressed by symbols.
 37. The device of claim 33 wherein atleast some of the game play values of the indicia are expressed bycombinations of at least two of numbers, colors and symbols.
 38. Aself-contained record-keeping device for use in playing a game,comprising: a first member having a plurality of groupings of game playindicia, each grouping including a plurality of different types of gameplay indicia, each type of indicia indicating information related to adifferent aspect of play of the game; and a second member having anindicator portion, one of the first and second members being selectivelymanually movable relative to the other of the first and second membersto selectively position the indicator portion to indicate one of thegroupings for use of the indicia thereof to determine game play.
 39. Thedevice of claim 38 wherein the positional relationship of the types ofindicia within each grouping are the same among the groupings.
 40. Thedevice of claim 38 further comprising a retainer member releasablyretaining the first and second members against relative movement whilepermitting the one of the first and second members to be selectivelymanually moved relative to the other of the first and second members.41. The device of claim 38 wherein the first member has the plurality ofgroupings at spaced-apart grouping positions, and the second member isselectively manually movable relative to the first member between aplurality of second member positions corresponding to the groupingpositions, the indicator portion being arranged such that when thesecond member is in one of the second member positions the indicatorportion is in alignment with the correspondingly positioned one of thegrouping positions.
 42. The device of claim 38 wherein the indicatorportion of the second member includes at least one aperture sized andpositioned such that when moved into alignment with the indicated one ofthe groupings the indicia thereof are visible therethrough for use todetermine game play without revealing any indicia of the othergroupings.
 43. The device of claim 38 wherein the indicator portion ofthe second member includes a view-permitting portion sized andpositioned such that when moved into alignment with the indicated one ofthe groupings the indicia thereof are visible through theview-permitting portion for use to determine game play, and the secondmember further includes a view-blocking portion movable with theindicator portion and blocking viewing of the indicia of the othergroupings.
 44. The device of claim 38 wherein at least a first pluralityof the types of game play indicia are expressed as game play values, andthe indicia thereof in at least some of the groupings have game playvalues different from the indicia of the same type in other of thegroupings.
 45. The device of claim 44 wherein the game play values ofthe first plurality of types of game play indicia are represented bynumbers and the indicia of the first plurality of the types in aplurality of the groupings have game play numbers being one of the sameand greater than the game play numbers of the indicia of the same typein an adjacent one of the groupings.
 46. The device of claim 38 whereinthe first member has a label with the game play indicia being recordedthereon.
 47. The device of claim 38 wherein each of the game playindicia are expressed as at least one of qualitative and quantitativevalues, and the game play indicia of each of the groupings indicate adifferent state of the device.
 48. The device of claim 47 wherein thegroupings are arranged sequentially from a first grouping to a lastgrouping, and the state of the device is represented by the values ofthe game play indicia of the groupings progressively changes from thefirst grouping to the last grouping.
 49. The device of claim 38 whereinat least some of the game play indicia are expressed as game play valuesrepresented by numbers.
 50. The device of claim 38 wherein at least someof the game play indicia are expressed as game play values representedby colors.
 51. The device of claim 38 wherein at least some of the gameplay indicia are expressed as game play values represented by symbols.52. The device of claim 38 wherein at least some of the game playindicia are expressed as game play values represented by combinations ofat least two of numbers, colors and symbols.
 53. A self-containedrecord-keeping device for use in playing a game, comprising: aself-contained record-keeping device, wherein the record-keeping deviceadjustably displays variable information relating to the game, theinformation being arranged in a plurality of sequences of game playindicia, each sequence being of a different type of game play indicia,each type of game play indicia indicating information related to adifferent aspect of the play of the game, at least one game play indiciabeing selectable from each sequence for use to determine game play. 54.The device of claim 53 wherein the self-contained record-keeping deviceincludes a first member having the plurality of sequences of game playindicia arranged to define a plurality of groupings of game playindicia, each grouping including at least one game play indicia from twoor more of the sequences of game play indicia to provide each groupingwith a plurality of different types of game play indicia, and a secondmember having an indicator portion, one of the first and second membersbeing selectively manually movable relative to the other of the firstand second members to selectively position the indicator portion toindicate one of the groupings for use of the indicia thereof todetermine game play.
 55. The device of claim 54 further comprising aretainer member releasably retaining the first and second membersagainst movement with respect to each other and with the indicatorportion in a selected position indicating one of the groupings while thedevice is moved about until one of the first and second members isselectively manually moved to another selected position indicatinganother of the groupings.
 56. The device of claim 54 wherein one of thefirst and second members has a contact portion and is selectivelymanually movable relative to the other of the first and second membersin response to a user manually drivingly contacting the contact portionto selectively position the indicator portion to indicate the one of thegroupings.
 57. The device of claim 56 further comprising a retainermember releasably retaining the first and second members againstrelative movement while permitting the one of the first and secondmembers to be selectively manually moved relative to the other of thefirst and second members.
 58. The device of claim 54 wherein one of thefirst and second members has a gripable member exposed for grasping by ahand of a game player, the gripable member being operatively connectedto the indicator portion to selectively manually move the indicatorportion in response to movement of the gripable member between theplurality of groupings of game indicia to select the one of thegroupings for use of the game play indicia thereof to determine gameplay.
 59. The device of claim 54 wherein the first member is a selectormember having the plurality of groupings of game play indicia with thegroupings at spaced-apart grouping positions, the positionalrelationship of the types of indicia within each grouping being the sameamong the groupings; and the second member is a base member selectivelymanually movable relative to the selector member between a plurality ofbase member positions corresponding to the grouping positions, theindicator portion being at least one aperture in the base member sizedand positioned to be in alignment with the correspondingly positionedone of the groupings to allow viewing of the indicia thereof todetermine game play without revealing any indicia of the othergroupings.
 60. The device of claim 54 wherein the positionalrelationship of the types of indicia within each grouping are the sameamong the groupings.
 61. The device of claim 54 wherein the first memberhas the plurality of groupings at spaced-apart grouping positions, andthe second member is selectively manually movable relative to the firstmember between a plurality of second member positions corresponding tothe grouping positions, the indicator portion being arranged such thatwhen the second member is in one of the second member positions theindicator portion is in alignment with the correspondingly positionedone of the grouping positions.
 62. The device of claim 61 wherein theindicator portion of the second member includes at least one aperturesized and positioned such that when moved into alignment with theindicated one of the groupings the indicia thereof are visibletherethrough for use to determine game play without revealing anyindicia of the other groupings.
 63. A movable game piece for use inplaying a game, the game piece, comprising: a first member having aplurality of game play indicia; a second member having an indicatorportion, one of the first and second members having a contact portionand being selectively manually movable relative to the other of thefirst and second members in response to a user manually drivinglycontacting the contact portion to selectively position the indicatorportion to indicate one of the indicia for use to determine game play;and a retainer member releasably retaining the first and second membersagainst relative movement while permitting the one of the first andsecond members to be selectively manually moved relative to the other ofthe first and second members to selectively position the indicatorportion to indicate the one of the indicia for use to determine gameplay.
 64. The game piece of claim 63 wherein the retainer memberincludes a plurality of first retainer members and a second retainermember, the first retainer members being spaced-apart on one of thefirst and second members and the second retainer member being on theother of the first and second members, the second retainer member beinginteractable with each of the plurality of first retainer members toretain the first and second members against relative movement with theindicator portion positioned to indicate the one of the indicia for useuntil the one of the first and second members is selectively manuallymoved relative to the other of the first and second members to positionthe indicator to indicate another one of the indicia for use todetermine game play.
 65. The game piece of claim 63 wherein the firstmember has the plurality of game play indicia at spaced-apart indiciapositions, and the second member is selectively manually movablerelative to the first member between a plurality of second memberpositions corresponding to the indicia positions, the indicator portionbeing arranged such that when the second member is in one of the secondmember positions the indicator portion is in alignment with thecorrespondingly positioned one of the indicia positions.
 66. The gamepiece of claim 63 wherein the indicator portion of the second memberincludes a view-permitting portion sized and positioned such that whenmoved into alignment with the indicated one of the indicia the indiciaone of the indicia is visible through the view-permitting portion foruse to determine game play, and the second member further includes aview-blocking portion movable with the indicator portion and blockingviewing of the other indicia.
 67. The game piece of claim 63 wherein thefirst and second members are rotatably coupled together, and one of thefirst and second members is a disk having a plurality of firstengagement portions, and the other of the first and second members has asecond engagement portion retainingly interactable with the plurality offirst engagement portions as one of the first and second members isrotated relative to the other, the plurality of first engagementportions being positioned to retain the first and second members withthe indicator portion positioned in positions corresponding to positionsof the plurality of game play indicia.
 68. The game piece of claim 63wherein the first member includes a first disk and the second memberincludes a second disk, the first and second disks being rotatablycoupled together, one of the first and second disks having an edgeincluding a plurality of first engagement portions, and the other of thefirst and second disks having a second engagement portion retaininglyinteractable with the plurality of first engagement portions as one ofthe first and second disks is rotated relative to the other, theplurality of first engagement portions being positioned to retain thefirst and second members with the indicator portion positioned inpositions corresponding to positions of the plurality of game playindicia.
 69. The game piece of claim 68 wherein the first engagementportions include a plurality of indentations, and the second engagementportion includes a button retainingly interactable with the plurality ofindentations.
 70. The game piece of claim 63 wherein the first memberhas a label with the game play indicia being recorded thereon.
 71. Thegame piece of claim 63 wherein the game play indicia indicateinformation related to one or more aspects of play of the game and areexpressed as at least one of qualitative and quantitative values.
 72. Amovable game piece for use in playing a game, the game piece comprising:a first member having a plurality of discrete groupings of game playindicia, each grouping including a plurality of different types of gameplay indicia, each type of indicia indicating information related to adifferent aspect of play of the game; and a second member having anindicator portion positioned to indicate one of the groupings for use ofthe indicia thereof to determine game play, one of the first and secondmembers having a contact portion and being selectively manually movablerelative to the other of the first and second members in response to auser manually drivingly contacting the contact portion to selectivelyposition the indicator portion to indicate the one of the groupings. 73.The game piece of claim 72 wherein the indicator portion of the secondmember includes a view-permitting portion sized and positioned such thatwhen moved into alignment with the indicated one of the groupings theindicia thereof are visible through the view-permitting portion for useto determine game play, and the second member further includes aview-blocking portion movable with the indicator portion and blockingviewing of the indicia of the other groupings.
 74. The game piece ofclaim 72 further comprising a retainer member releasably retaining theone of the first and second members against movement relative to theother of the first and second members while permitting the one of thefirst and second members to be selectively manually moved relative tothe other of the first and second members to selectively position theindicator portion to indicate the one of the groupings for use of theindicia thereof to determine game play.
 75. The game piece of claim 72wherein the first and second members are rotatably coupled together, andone of the first and second members is a disk having a plurality offirst engagement portions, and the other of the first and second membershas a second engagement portion retainingly interactable with theplurality of first engagement portions as one of the first and secondmembers is rotated relative to the other, the plurality of firstengagement portions being positioned to correspond to positions of theplurality of discrete groupings of game play indicia.
 76. The game pieceof claim 72 wherein the first member includes a first disk and thesecond member includes a second disk, the first and second disks beingrotatably coupled together, one of the first and second disks having anedge including a plurality of first engagement portions, and the otherof the first and second disks having a second engagement portionretainingly interactable with the plurality of first engagement portionsas one of the first and second disks is rotated relative to the other,the plurality of first engagement portions being positioned tocorrespond to positions of the plurality of discrete groupings of gameplay indicia.
 77. The game piece of claim 76 wherein the firstengagement portions include a plurality of indentations, and the secondengagement portion includes a button retainingly interactable with theplurality of indentations.
 78. The game piece of claim 72 wherein atleast a first plurality of the types of game play indicia are expressedas game play values represented by at least one of numbers, colors andsymbols, and the indicia thereof in at least some of the groupings havegame play values different from the indicia of the same type in othersof the groupings.
 79. The game piece of claim 78 wherein the indicia ofthe first plurality of the types in a plurality of the groupings havegame play values represented by numbers being one of the same andgreater than the game play numbers of the indicia of the same type in anadjacent one of the groupings.
 80. The game piece of claim 72 for use inplaying a game based on simulated interactions of a plurality of gamecharacters according to a set of game rules, wherein one of the firstand second members has a base portion with a representational figureattached thereto and representing one of the game characters, andwherein the groupings of game play indicia of the first member areexpressed as game play values uniquely associated with the one gamecharacter to produce outcomes of the simulated interactions with othergame characters using the game play indicia of the respective charactersaccording to the set of game rules.
 81. The game piece of claim 80wherein the figure is the contact portion.
 82. The game piece of claim72 wherein the first and second members are rotatably coupled togetherand the one of the first and second members is selectively manuallyrotatable relative to the other of the first and second members inresponse to the user manually applying a rotational drive force to thecontact portion to selectively position the indicator portion toindicate the one of the groupings.
 83. The game piece of claim 82wherein the first and second members are rotatably coupled together torotate about a rotational axis, the game play indicia of each of thegroupings indicate a different state of the game piece, the groupingsare arranged sequentially from a first grouping to a last grouping, thestate of the game piece represented by the values of the game playindicia of the groupings progressively changes from the first groupingto the last grouping, and the game play indicia of each of the groupingsare arranged in a column extending radially outward from the rotationalaxis.
 84. The game piece of claim 72 wherein the first member has alabel with the game play indicia being recorded thereon.
 85. The gamepiece of claim 72 wherein each of the game play indicia are expressed asat least one of qualitative and quantitative values, and the game playindicia of each of the groupings indicate a different state of the gamepiece.
 86. The game piece of claim 85 wherein the groupings are arrangedsequentially from a first grouping to a last grouping, and the state ofthe game piece is represented by the values of the game play indicia ofthe groupings progressively changes from the first grouping to the lastgrouping.
 87. The game piece of claim 72 wherein the first and secondmembers are rotatably coupled together to rotate about a rotationalaxis, the game play indicia of each of the groupings indicate adifferent state of the game piece, the groupings are arrangedsequentially from a first grouping to a last grouping, the state of thegame piece represented by the values of the game play indicia of thegroupings progressively changes from the first grouping to the lastgrouping, and the game play indicia of each of the groupings are in aradially extending arrangement extending relative to the rotationalaxis.
 88. The game piece of claim 72 for use in playing a game based onsimulated interactions of a plurality of game characters, wherein thecontact portion is a figure representative of one of the gamecharacters.
 89. The game piece of claim 72 wherein the first and secondmembers are first and second disks, respectively, rotatably coupledtogether for rotation about a common rotational axis.
 90. The game pieceof claim 89 wherein the groupings are arranged sequentially from a firstgrouping to a last grouping, the game play indicia of each of thegroupings indicate a different state of the game piece, the state of thegame piece represented by the values of the game play indicia of thegroupings progressively changes from the first grouping to the lastgrouping, and wherein the one of the first and second disks is rotatablerelative to the other about the rotational axis in both clockwise andcounterclockwise directions, whereby during play of the game the stateof the game piece represented by the values of the game play indicia ofthe groupings can be changed by rotating the one of the first and seconddisks in one of the clockwise and counterclockwise directions and laterreturned to a prior state by subsequent rotation of the one of the firstand second disks in the other of the clockwise and counterclockwisedirections.
 91. The game piece of claim 89 wherein one of the first andsecond disks has a first perimeter portion, and the other of the firstand second disks has a second perimeter portion positioned adjacent tothe first perimeter portion, the other of the first and second disks hasa plurality of fingers at the second perimeter portion retaining thefirst perimeter portion to retain the first and second disks togetherwhile permitting relative rotation of the first and second disks aboutthe rotational axis.
 92. The game piece of claim 89 wherein one of thefirst and second disks has an first engagement member
 93. The game pieceof claim 72 wherein the second member further includes a plurality ofadditional game play indicia of different types than the indicia of thefirst member, and the additional game play indicia are visible when theindicator portion is positioned to indicate any of the groupings.
 94. Aset of at least first and second movable game pieces for use by firstand second game players, respectively, in playing a game based onsimulated interactions of the first and second game pieces according toa set of game rules, each of the first and second game piecescomprising: a first member having a plurality of discrete groupings ofgame play indicia, each grouping including a plurality of differenttypes of game play indicia, each type of indicia indicating informationrelated to a different aspect of play of the game and being expressed asgame play values, the game play values being selected to produceoutcomes of the simulated interactions between the first and second gamepieces according to the set of game rules by comparison of a numberdetermined based upon the game play values of the game play indicia inone grouping of the first game piece with a number determined based uponthe game play values of the game play indicia in one grouping of thesecond game piece, the game play values of a plurality of the game playindicia in at least one of the groupings of the first game piece havingdifferent values than the game play values of a plurality of the gameplay indicia of the same type in at least one of the groupings of thesecond game piece; and a second member having an indicator portionpositioned to indicate one of the groupings for use of the indiciathereof to determine the number used for comparison, one of the firstand second members being selectively manually movable relative to theother of the first and second members to selectively position theindicator portion to indicate the one of the groupings.
 95. The set ofgame pieces of claim 94 wherein each of the first and second game piecesfurther comprising a retainer member releasably retaining the one of thefirst and second members against movement relative to the other of thefirst and second members while permitting the one of the first andsecond members to be selectively manually moved relative to the other ofthe first and second members to selectively position the indicatorportion to indicate the one of the groupings.
 96. The set of game piecesof claim 94 wherein for each of the first and second game pieces atleast a plurality of the types of game play indicia are expressed asgame play values.
 97. The set of game pieces of claim 96 wherein foreach of the first and second game pieces the game play indicia in atleast some of the groupings have game play values different from thegame play indicia of the same type in others of the groupings.
 98. Theset of game pieces of claim 97 wherein for each of the first and secondgame pieces at least two of the game play indicia of the same type in atleast two adjacent groupings have game play values represented bynumbers and the game play numbers in one adjacent grouping are differentthan the game play numbers in the other adjacent grouping.
 99. The setof game pieces of claim 94 wherein the game play indicia are expressedas at least one of qualitative and quantitative values.
 100. The set ofgame pieces of claim 94 wherein at least some of the game play indiciaare expressed as game play values represented by numbers.
 101. The setof game pieces of claim 94 wherein at least some of the game playindicia are expressed as game play values represented by colors. 102.The set of game pieces of claim 94 wherein at least some of the gameplay indicia are expressed as game play values represented by symbols.103. The set of game pieces of claim 94 wherein at least some of thegame play indicia are expressed as game play values represented bycombinations of at least two of numbers, colors and symbols.
 104. Theset of game pieces of claim 94 wherein for each of the first and secondgame pieces one of the first and second members has a base portion witha representational figure attached thereto representing a gamecharacters having characteristics, the figure for the first game piecebeing different that the figure for the second game piece, and whereinthe game play values of the game play indicia represent thecharacteristics of the game character represented by the attachedfigure.
 105. The set of game pieces of claim 94 wherein for each of thefirst and second game pieces the first and second members are rotatablycoupled together and the one of the first and second members isselectively manually rotatable relative to the other of the first andsecond members to selectively position the indicator portion to indicatethe one of the groupings.
 106. The set of game pieces of claim 94wherein the first member has a label with the game play indicia beingrecorded thereon.
 107. A self-contained record-keeping device for use inplaying a game, comprising: a first member having a plurality of gameplay indicia; a second member having an indicator portion, one of thefirst and second members being selectively manually movable relative tothe other of the first and second members to selectively position theindicator portion to indicate one of the indicia for use to determinegame play; and a retainer member releasably retaining the first andsecond members against relative movement while permitting the one of thefirst and second members to be selectively manually moved relative tothe other of the first and second members to selectively position theindicator portion to indicate the one of the indicia for use todetermine game play, the retainer member includes a plurality of firstretainer members and a second retainer member, the first retainermembers being spaced-apart on one of the first and second members andthe second retainer member being on the other of the first and secondmembers, the second retainer member being interactable with each of theplurality of first retainer members to retain the first and secondmembers against relative movement with the indicator portion positionedto indicate the one of the indicia for use until the one of the firstand second members is selectively manually moved relative to the otherof the first and second members to position the indicator to indicateanother one of the indicia for use to determine game play.
 108. Thedevice of claim 107 wherein the first member has the plurality of gameplay indicia at spaced-apart indicia positions, and the second member isselectively manually movable relative to the first member between aplurality of second member positions corresponding to the indiciapositions, the indicator portion being arranged such that when thesecond member is in one of the second member positions the indicatorportion is in alignment with the correspondingly positioned one of theindicia positions.
 109. The device of claim 107 wherein the indicatorportion of the second member includes at least one aperture sized andpositioned such that when moved into alignment with the indicated one ofthe indicia the indicated one of the indicia is visible therethrough foruse to determine game play without revealing any others of the indicia.110. The device of claim 107 wherein the indicator portion of the secondmember includes a view-permitting portion sized and positioned such thatwhen moved into alignment with the indicated one of the indicia theindicia one of the indicia is visible through the view-permittingportion for use to determine game play, and the second member furtherincludes a view-blocking portion movable with the indicator portion andblocking viewing of the other indicia.
 111. The device of claim 107wherein the first member has a label with the game play indicia beingrecorded thereon.
 112. The device of claim 107 wherein the game playindicia indicate information related to one or more aspects of play ofthe game and are expressed as at least one of qualitative andquantitative values.
 113. A method for playing a game according to a setof game rules, the method comprising the acts of: placing at least firstand second movable game pieces on a playing surface for use by at leastfirst and second game players, respectively, in playing a game based onsimulated interactions of the first and second game pieces according tothe set of game rules, each of the first and second game piecesincluding a self-contained record-keeping device adjustably displayingvariable information relating to the game, the information beingarranged in a sequence of game play indicia representing acharacteristic used in an interaction resolution formula to determine aresult of an interaction between the first and second game piecesaccording to the set of game rules at least in part based upon aselected one of the game play indicia of the first game piece; initiallyselecting one of the game play indicia of the first game piece accordingto the set of game rules; engaging the first and second game pieces inan initial interaction according to the set of game rules; determiningthe result of the initial interaction between the first and second gamepieces according to the set of game rules at least in part based uponusing the selected one of the game play indicia of the first game piecein the interaction resolution formula; and thereafter repeatedlyperforming the set of acts of moving the first and second game pieces onthe playing surface to position the first and second game pieces foranother simulated interaction according to the set of game rules,selecting one of the game play indicia of the first game piece accordingto the set of game rules, engaging the first and second game pieces inanother interaction according to the set of game rules, and determiningthe result of the another interaction between the first and second gamepieces according to the set of game rules at least in part based uponusing the selected one of the game play indicia of the first game piecein the interaction resolution formula.
 114. The method of claim 113further including determining a cumulative game play result using aplurality of results of the interactions between the first and secondgame pieces.
 115. The method of claim 113 wherein an adjacent game playindicia in the sequence of game play indicia to one side of thepreviously selected game play indicia is next selected if a first resultof the simulated interaction is determined and an adjacent game playindicia in the sequence of game play indicia to an opposite side of thepreviously selected game play indicia is next selected if a secondresult of the simulated interaction is determined.
 116. A method forplaying a game according to a set of game rules, the method comprisingthe acts of: placing at least first and second movable game pieces on aplaying surface for use by at least first and second game players,respectively, in playing a game based on simulated interactions of thefirst and second game pieces according to the set of game rules, each ofthe first and second game pieces including a self-containedrecord-keeping device adjustably displaying variable informationrelating to the game, the information being arranged in a sequence ofgame play indicia, the sequence of game play indicia of the first gamepiece representing an offensive characteristic and the sequence of gameplay indicia of the second game piece representing a defensivecharacteristic, a result of an interaction between the first and secondgame pieces when the first game piece takes a simulated offensive actionagainst the second game piece at least in part being determined using aselected one of the game play indicia of the first game piece and aselected one of the game play indicia of the second game piece in aninteraction resolution formula; initially selecting one of the game playindicia of the first game piece and one of the game play indicia of thesecond game piece according to the set of game rules; when the firstgame piece takes an initial simulated offensive action against thesecond game piece according to the set of game rules, determining theresult of the initial interaction between the first and second gamepieces at least in part using the initially selected one of the gameplay indicia of the first game piece and the initially selected one ofthe game play indicia of the second game piece in the interactionresolution formula; and thereafter repeatedly performing the set of actsof moving the first and second game pieces on the playing surfaceaccording to the set of game rules to position the first and second gamepieces for another simulated offensive action of the first game pieceagainst the second game piece, selecting one of the game play indicia ofthe first game piece and one of the game play indicia of the second gamepiece according to the set of game rules, and when the first game piecetakes another simulated offensive action against the second game pieceaccording to the set of game rules determining the result of the anotherinteraction between the first and second game pieces at least in partusing the selected one of the game play indicia of the first game pieceand the selected one of the game play indicia of the second game piecein the interaction resolution formula.
 117. The method of claim 116further including determining a cumulative game play result using aplurality of results of the interactions between the first and secondgame pieces.
 118. A method of providing collectable game pieces, themethod comprising the acts of: producing a plurality of game pieceshaving varied features, wherein at least one game piece includes aself-contained record-keeping device; and selling the game piece in apackage that conceals the varied feature of the game piece.
 119. Themethod of claim 118, wherein the self-contained record-keeping deviceselectively displays a variable portion of information relating to thegame.
 120. The method of claim 119 wherein the game piece includes afigure connected to the self-contained record-keeping device.
 121. Themethod of claim 120, wherein the producing act further includesproducing a plurality of first game pieces having a first varied featureand a plurality of second game pieces having a second varied feature.122. The method of claim 121, wherein the producing act further includesproducing a greater number of first game pieces than second game pieces.123. The method of claim 122, wherein the first game piece represents adifferent character of the game than the second game piece.
 124. Themethod of claim 122, wherein the information of the first game piece isdifferent than the information of the second game piece.
 125. The methodof claim 122, wherein the first game piece represents a differentcharacter of the game than the second game piece and the information ofthe first game piece is different than the information of the secondgame piece.
 126. The method of claim 118, wherein selling the game piecein a package includes selling a plurality of game pieces within thepackage.
 127. The method of claim 126, wherein the package includes oneSKU, regardless of the varied features of the game pieces within thepackage.